Fall of the Doctor: Return to Skaro
by SquirrelWho
Summary: The 11th Doctor receives a phone call with a surprising revelation - his daughter, Jenny is still alive, but she's being held hostage. To save her he must return to the devastated planet of Skaro, but a fate worse than death awaits him. Can his future be altered or is the Doctor doomed to fall? Some old characters, some new, something borrowed, and the TARDIS is blue.
1. A Surprising Call

Fall of the Doctor: Return to Skaro

Prequel – The Doctor

He was alone again. Not for good though. It was too hard to distract himself when he was alone and he needed distraction. Otherwise he might start thinking about things, about the past and that was never good. There were too many haunted memories. _Something else. Think about something else._

_Ice crystals._ The singing ice crystals in the caves of Nazatar. He ran to the control panel and began flipping levers. The caves would be a distraction and if he was lucky, which he usually was, an adventure.

The phone rang. _Who would be calling now? _It rang again, insisting to be answered. _Fine._ He picked it up.

"Hello?" he asked.

Static filled the line.

"Hello?" he repeated in irritation.

He didn't want to stand there listening to static. He wanted to get going. The ice crystals were waiting.

The static dissipated.

"Doctor?" a man asked.

He didn't recognize the voice. He couldn't be contacted by just anybody. The man sounded like he was around the same age, well, not his real age. The age he appeared to be.

"Who is this?"

"Someone who's been looking for you for a very long time."

_What did that mean?_

"How did you get this number?"

There was something strange going on and he didn't like it. Who would have been looking for him? It could be one of his enemies. He had quite a few.

"From a friend."

"What friend?"

He doubted anyone had willingly given out his number, which meant that whoever he was talking to had taken it. Who had he taken it from? And what had he done to get it? Anger rose to the surface at the thought of this man harming one of his friends.

"I could tell you, but wouldn't you rather know where your daughter is?"

_My daughter? _What the hell was he talking about? The man must have been mad.

"I don't have a daughter."

"And how wrong you are…isn't he Jenny?"

_Jenny? _His mind raced back Messaline and his old self. A war between the human and the Hath, which only lasted a few days, but everyone believed it had gone on for generations because of the progenation machines. His hand had been forced into one of those machines resulting in Jenny. His daughter. Only, she was dead. She died protecting him.

"It's a trap Dad! Don't do it!" She sounded far away, but it was her.

"No," the Doctor gasped.

Jenny was alive! How? She must have regenerated, but she sounded the same. That wasn't possible. Was it? He was able to heal himself instead of regenerating once, but that was because he kept his severed hand.

It must have something to do with the progenation machine. Maybe something went wrong…or right depending on how he looked at it. Instead of regenerating her body healed.

"Believe me now?" the man asked.

The Doctor's mind snapped back to the problem at hand. It didn't matter how she was alive because right now she was in danger.

"If you harm her I'll—"

"You'll what? Kill me?" the man laughed.

The Doctor shook the phone and then slammed his free hand into the console. Rage burned like white fire, threatening to consume him. _I won't let her die again. I can't._ He pushed the rage down. It was still there, but lying under the surface of false calm.

"What do you want?"

"Meet me on Skaro, come alone or she dies."

"Why Skaro?"

Cold fingers crept up his spine. The man didn't sound like a Dalek, but he could be a conversion. The Doctor had been tricked into returning once before to meet a woman who supposedly lost her daughter, but the Dalek's had been laying in wait. Had they somehow repaired their database? No, Clara erased all knowledge of his existence, but who else would want him to return to that horrific place?

"Because that's where it started and that's where it must end. You have one hour."

The line went dead. He stared at the receiver for a moment. _That's where it started._ What did he mean? The Daleks? Or was he talking about something else?

The Doctor hung up the phone and punched in the coordinates for Skaro. He wasn't sure what waited for him in the crumbling remains of the Dalek's home planet, but he had to save his daughter. No matter the cost.


	2. Return to Skaro

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Doctor Who or any of its characters or story lines, however I do own a fez.

Fall of the Doctor: Return to Skaro

Chapter 1

Skaro, a planet once similar to Earth with a few exceptions like the sulphuric rain, had been devastated by the Thousand Year War between the Kaleds and Thals. It was the birthplace of his oldest enemies, the Daleks. They were created by the Kaled chief scientist, Davros, who decided to accelerate the mutations caused by the biological and nuclear weapons used during the war. He placed the accelerated mutations in travel machines and gave them a new name – Dalek.

The TARDIS groaned and buckled in protest throwing the Doctor back against the railing.

"What did you do that for?" he yelled, but he knew. _She senses something._ She didn't want to take him because she knew it was dangerous, they were going whether she wanted to or not. He had to help his daughter.

He glanced at the atom accelerator or _spinney spiky ball_ as he liked to call it as he typed on the keyboard. The TARDIS rocked sideways.

"No! No! No!" he shouted, almost losing his footing as he raced around the control panel and flipped the blue switches. _Blue stabilizers, _River had called them. The TARDIS calmed. _There, that's better._

He needed time to think about what he was going to do. The man who had taken Jenny. _Who is he? _An enemy, obviously, but which one? Without knowing he couldn't know his weaknesses. _I'll figure that out when I see him._

The TARDIS buckled with a high pitched screech. "Stop this! Stop this now!" he shouted, trying not to tumble sideways as he raced around to pull the zigzag-plotter.

"I have to help her. This is Jenny we're talking about. I can't lose her again!" The TARDIS heaved. He raced back to the blue switched.

"Don't do this to me!" He switched them off and on.

"Work, dam it! Work!" The TARDIS trembled in protest. She wasn't going to let him land. He slammed his fist into the console.

"Please!" he shouted, his voice thick with emotion.

Jenny was going to die…again and there was nothing he could do. His eyes burned as he ran a hand through his mop of dark hair.

"Please…" he choked. "I can't do it. I can't lose her again." A tear slid down his cheek.

"Please," he whispered.

He thought he lost Jenny when she sacrificed herself for him, but she was alive. She was just out of his reach and now, when he could save her, he was going to lose her again.

The blue switches flipped to the on position. The TARDIS calmed. She began making the whooshing, squealing noise that he had come to love. _She's materializing! _

"Haha!" he exclaimed, drying his eyes with the sleeve of his burgundy, tweed coat. "Thank you, old girl." He stroked the console, lovingly. "Thank you." He spun around and strode toward the doors. The lights dimmed as a sad sigh filled the room. He paused with his hand on the doorknob and glanced back at the console. It was almost as if she was saying goodbye. _No._ He shook his head. _Silly old doctor. _She was conserving her energy, that's all, but he couldn't help one last look around the room before he opened the door and stepped outside.

* * *

"What are we doing here?" she asked, gazing around the dimly lit room ravaged by time and something else. _A battle? _She couldn't be sure. Debris littered the floor from a massive hole that looked like it had been blown out of the wall on her left. Cells with barred doors stretched along the wall in front of her. _Was this a prison?_

"We are here to observe," White said.

She doubted that was his real name, but it's the only one he'd given her. She took in his white suit, hair, and beard. The name suited him, even if it wasn't real. Then again, maybe she wasn't the best judge of what was real and what wasn't. Twenty minutes ago she'd walked into her living room for something. _My car keys? _She couldn't remember, but she'd nearly collided with White who appeared out of thin air like magic.

"Pay attention, Jane," White demanded as if she was a young child who needed scolding.

"I am," she snapped, coming out of her thoughts.

Her name wasn't Jane, but that's what he told her she had to go by from now on. There was a reason, but it she couldn't quite remember what it was. They had a conversation before he brought her there, but it was foggy and muddled.

"Jane."

She pushed her thoughts aside and focused on the room. A creature had entered the room. It had the head and thick, grey skin of a rhino, but it wore strange, black armor. _What the hell is that?_

"Judoon," White whispered, leaning close to her.

"Ju-what?"

"Judoon. It's an alien race."

The Judoon gazed around the room. Her stomach dropped. _What if it sees us?_

"He won't."

Jane's eyes snapped to White. _Can he hear my thoughts?_ He didn't reply, but nodded toward the hole in the wall.

Another Judoon stepped through the hole with a blonde girl. She appeared to be a few years younger than Jane. Seventeen or eighteen. Her arms were bound behind her back. A man walked behind her with a gun pointed at her back. He wore a black uniform with brass buttons that reminded her of a civil war uniform.

"Don't forget, Jenny, I have your friend back on my ship. Just in case you think about trying something," the man said.

A Judoon opened one of the cell doors. Jenny didn't answer as the man shoved her inside.

"Tie her to the wall," he said, pointing at a metal right in the back of the cell. The Judoon holding the door did as he instructed. The man watched with his gun pointed at her head. "That's a good girl," he smirked.

Jane wanted to slap him. She took a step forward, but White grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Observe," White whispered.

She didn't want to _observe_. She wanted to get Jenny out of that cell and lock the guy up and those rhino, Judoon things too.

"I know you're going to kill all of us anyway," Jenny said.

"That's not true. Your father still has…" He looked at his wrist. "…fifteen minutes. As long as he shows up you'll be fine."

A loud _clang_ echoed through the room, startling Jane. The man lifted his gun and looked around the room. His eyes passed over Jane and White. For the first time she got a good look at his face and her breath caught in her throat. His eyes were completely black. _What's wrong with him?_

Footsteps on the metal stairs drew her attention to the right. A man with a floppy mop of dark hair stepped out of the stairwell. The long, dark, burgundy coat he wore swished as he strode into the room. He wore a pale blue, dress shirt and black suspenders underneath. His bowtie almost made her laugh, but it died when she spotted the two Judoons flanking him with guns drawn. They kept their eyes trained on him.

"Dad!" Jenny yelled, straining against the ropes.

"Doctor, I wasn't sure if you were coming," the man said, stepping forward.

_Doctor?_ Was the man in the burgundy coat a doctor?

"_The_ Doctor," White corrected.


	3. Prisoner and Justice

Fall of the Doctor: Return to Skaro

Chapter 2

"Hello, Jenny. Are you all right?" the Doctor asked, taking in the entire room as he talked. He'd recognized the building as a prison before he walked through the open doorway and descended the stairs. The floor above was in ruins, but this lower level seemed pretty intact. There was a large hole in the wall on the other side of the room and he couldn't be sure if more Judoon were laying in wait on the other side.

Debris littered the floor and there was something…. He gazed to his left. The room was dimly lit, but he could see the wall. There was no one there, but he felt like there was. He squinted. Nothing.

"You shouldn't have come," Jenny insisted.

He glanced at her through the corner of his eye. She looked the same. Her hair was even up in a ponytail. She wore a blue t-shirt and jeans. A half-smile played at the corner of his lips as he took in her high-top sneakers. _Oh Jenny._

The man shifted his weight. His movement brought the Doctor's mind back to the problem at hand.

"I'll take that as a yes, then." He eyed the man holding his daughter captive. _No, not a man. At least not a human one._ "I'm here. Now what?"

He spun around. Two Judoon were standing behind him. They pointed their weapons at him. He turned back to the man. Two more Judoon stood behind him. They held their weapons, but they weren't pointing them. That made four weapons. _No, five._ The man had a weapon, but it was holstered in the belt at his waist. Five weapons, four Judoon, and one – whatever-he-is.

"Actually, you know what I'd like to know? I'd like to know who…" The Doctor stepped forward, leaned close to the man's face, and examined his eyes. "…and _what_ you are. You're not human, though you look it from a distance."

The man's eyes were completely black. _What are you? _It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite remember. _Getting old._

The man gave a hollow laugh. "No, I'm not human. You can call me Credon. I'm from Trenoda."

"Trenoda?" The Doctor stepped back in shock. _No. _That wasn't possible. "But that was-"

"Lost in the Last Great Time War? Yes," Credon said.

The Doctor paced between the Judoon and Credon. "Trenoda was lost and all the people with it, but you're here. You can't be here." He spun around and eyed Credon. "How are you here?"

"I escaped."

"No. No one escaped," he insisted.

He made sure that no one could ever escape. _Caan._ His mind raced back to the battle at the Medusa Cascade and Davros who should have died when he flew into the jaws of the Nightmare Child, but he was saved by Dalek Caan who managed to enter the Time War even though it was time locked and pull Davros out. Caan lost his mind, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he had done it.

"I suppose you're right. Escaped isn't the correct word since I wasn't there when Trenoda disappeared. I was piloting a supply ship, but my objective was to find a safe haven and then return for the survivors, but before I could Trenoda was lost."

The Doctor's hearts ached. So many people had been lost and it was his fault. He would never be able to escape the guilt he felt, but that was okay because he deserved it.

He remembered Trenoda. A beautiful planet with vast forests of flowing trees and fields of golden grass. The Tranodians were more inclined to expand their minds than fight in wars. Their only crime was living too close to Gallifrey.

"But Trenoda was a peaceful planet. How did you become this?"

"Loss changes you."

"Don't you think I know that? I've lost everything too, my world, my people-" Talking about all that he had lost brought memories to the surface, threatening to overwhelm him. _No!_ He pushed them down. He couldn't allow them to come out. Not now. Not ever.

"Not your family."

"Yes, my family too. I lost my entire family in the war."

"But you still have a daughter," Credon insisted, gesturing at Jenny.

The Doctor glanced at her. She struggled in her bonds, trying to break free. He almost smiled. She wasn't one to give up. "She has nothing to do with that. She wasn't even born."

"My daughter didn't have anything to do with it either, but I still lost her."

Guilt gripped his chest. It was his fault. Credon had become _this_ because of him. He had taken the man's family away from him. _It's no wonder why he took her._ He had to make Credon see. Give him a choice. He wasn't evil. He was sad and lonely. He missed his family.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"I don't think you are," Credon growled.

"What?" the Doctor asked, taken back.

"It took me a long time to piece the events together. To find out who was responsible. Planets don't just vanish." Credon stepped toward the Doctor and pointed an accusing finger. "It was you. You're responsible."

"I-"

"Don't try to deny it."

"I'm not denying it, but you don't understand. I had to do it." He wanted…no…he needed the man to understand why he had done it. His hearts weighed down on him.

"You had to take my family away from me? You had to murder all those people?"

"It wasn't like that. I was trying to save everyone. If I hadn't done something all of creation would've been destroyed." The one thing that he needed since the day he made the choice was the one thing that none of his companions could give him. Forgiveness. He could only find that through someone who had suffered through his actions that day.

"Do you think I care about all of creation?"

"You can't reason with him dad," Jenny shouted.

"Shut up, Jenny, I'm taking care of it," the Doctor insisted, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. He needed to make Credon understand. To make him see.

"I don't care why you did it. I only care that you're responsible," Credon growled.

The Doctor gazed into his eyes. Jenny was right. He couldn't reason with him. There was no mercy or forgiveness in his eyes. Only anger and loathing.

"What do you want?"

"Justice."

Five weapons, four Judoon, and one Tranodian. He'd faced worse odds before. He reached into his top pocket to pull out his…. _It's gone! _

"Looking for this?" Credon asked, holding the Doctor's sonic screwdriver in his hand. "I've heard stories about you, Doctor. Never can be too careful."

_How did he get it? _No one had ever slipped it out of his pocket before. He was so stunned that he was struck silent. Not something that happened very often.

There had to be a way out. There was _always _a way out. He couldn't take the weapons out without his sonic screwdriver. He could probably make it to the hole in the back wall, but that left Jenny here and he was pretty sure from the look in Credon's eyes that he would kill her. He couldn't overpower the Judoon. They were too strong. His eye kept roaming back to the wall on his left. There was someone there, watching him. He could feel it. _Friend or foe?_ He wasn't sure so he couldn't rely on any help.

"I didn't bring you here to kill you," Credon said, interrupting his thoughts.

"You didn't?" the Doctor asked, surprised.

"I want justice, not revenge."

He wasn't sure he believed the man. _Justice? _What was that supposed to mean?

"All you have to do…" Credon pulled a small, black, hand-held device from his pocket. It was about the size of a closed wallet. "…is touch this."

"Touch it?" He eyed the device warily. It resembled a small hand-held touch screen. It didn't look dangerous, but he'd been alive long enough to know that the most dangerous weapons looked harmless.

"Yes."

"That's all?" He hovered his hand near it, but not close enough to come into contact with it.

"That's all."

All he had to do was touch it. That sounded…too easy. Would it send a shock through his body? That would take out one of his hearts, but another jolt would get it working again. _No, that's not it._ Credon knew about the Time Lords, which meant he probably knew the Doctor had two hearts.

"What is it?"

"It's one of a kind. I had it specially made."

The Doctor glanced from the device to Credon and back. _One of a kind. _That's why he hadn't seen one before. It was new. Normally, he'd be excited about new technology, but seeing as it was _specially made_ to implement Credon's version of justice on him the excitement that he would have felt was replace by aprhension.

"What's it do?"

"Don't do it," Jenny insisted.

"It won't kill you," Credon replied.

_Well, doesn't that give me a warm fuzzy feeling? _He didn't trust Credon. He said it wouldn't kill him, but that didn't mean he was telling the truth. He glanced at Jenny behind the barred doors. _What choice do I have?_ He reached out to touch it, then stopped.

"How do I know you won't kill her after I do what you want?

"I give you my word."

"The word of a man who kidnapped my daughter? Seriously?"

"That's all you have, but if you don't do as I say…"

Credon nodded to the Judoon next to him. The Judoon aimed his gun at Jenny. The Doctor's stomach knotted in fear.

"Okay! I'll do it."

The Judoon lowered his gun as the Doctor laid his hand on the device. The memories that he'd kept at bay flooded to the front of his mind. The piercing screams of the wounded and dying rang through his head. He screamed, unable to push them away. _No! Please, no!_ Blood and pain and anguished cries drowned out the room. The Judoon, Credon, and even his daughter were lost to the horrific memories he was forced to relive. Reality slipped away with one last thought. _Kill me!_


	4. The Doctor's Memories

Fall of the Doctor: Return to Skaro

Chapter 3

"What did you do?" Jenny yelled. "You said you weren't going to kill him!"

"He's not dying," Credon said. "He only wishes he was."

The Doctor dropped to his knees, grabbing the sides of his head. He let out a torturous scream.

"What's happening to him?" Jenny demanded.

"He's remembering all the death he's caused."

"What do you mean?"

"The images are replaying in his mind and now he can't stop them. Come Judoon." He started walking toward the stairs with the Judoon trailing after.

"You said you'd let me go."

"I'll let your friend go. I'm sure it won't take him too long to get you out and by then I'll be gone." He stopped before entering the stairwell. "And when you do get out I suggest you do the humane thing and kill him."

"When I get out of here I'm coming after you. You won't be able to run far enough."

"I'm done running and so is he," Credon said nodding to the Doctor who let out another tortured scream.

"Dad! I'll help you, just hold on," Jenny called over his scream, but he was unreachable, lost in his tormented mind.

Jane wanted to help, but the hand that held her wrist told her she wouldn't be allowed. Not that she knew what she would be able to do. He was being tortured by images that she couldn't stop. She could help Jenny, but so could the girl's friend who would be entering the room any minute.

"You have to help him," White said, startling her.

"What?" she asked, turning to the old man.

"Now that you've seen what happens you must prevent it."

"Prevent it?" How the hell was she supposed to prevent something that already happened? That wasn't possible.

"I brought you to an alien world…in the future."

"In the what?" _Future? _Believing in alien planets was hard enough, but time travel?

"It doesn't matter if you believe me now because you will soon enough."

He stepped forward, moving faster than she thought possible. He grabbed her head with both his hands.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm about to make a believer out of you."

Before she could pull away images filled her mind. Memories, but not hers. A lonely young boy raised an obedient and dutiful life, craving love from parents who weren't there. Her heart ached to comfort him.

Then another boy appeared. A friend. They would run through fields of red grass and fall to the ground, laughing. There were games and trees to climb. Then his friend changed. He wanted to help, but his friend pulled away and they grew apart.

Loneliness settled in again, but not for long because there was a girl. He took her to the top of a hill and they watched the second sun rise in the south above the silver forest. The leaves caught the light and the forest burned with an orange fire. Her breath caught at the beautiful sight.

He was always restless though. He wanted to see other worlds, the whole of the universe, everything. Then he found it. Not, not it, her. The TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Then came the adventures and the war.

A never ending war of death and destruction. He led his people, the Time Lords, into battle against the Daleks for the sake of all of creation. She saw the face of the Nightmare Child and the Could've Been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres.

She saw the truth. He destroyed worlds, including his own to save everyone else. He made a choice no one should ever have to make and it nearly destroyed him to do it.

Then he was alone. Always alone. Sometimes he took someone with him. A companion, but they never lasted. Some were lost, some stayed behind, some went home and others died. A tear slid down her cheek. He loved each of them fiercely and when they were gone it left a hole that ate away at him.

She watched eleven lifetimes of adventures and joy and pain and grief and loss and suffering until she thought her heart might burst. Then White pulled his hands away and the images stopped. She gasped, doubling over.

"Now you understand," he said.

She understood far more than she ever wanted to. She also knew who White was because the Doctor knew him. She wondered what his motives were. He wasn't supposed to interfere. It was one of the rules he followed and he wasn't prone to breaking rules.

"Why me?" There were so many questions swirling around in her mind. It was the first one to come out.

"For two reasons. First, your mind could contain all the memories and second, you'll interest him. Although they both go together."

"What do you mean?"

"He'll be more interested if he has to find out on his own."

She didn't trust White. Not after what she had seen in the Doctor's memories. Jenny's friend had entered the room while she was preoccupied. He appeared to be in his early twenties. He was untying her hands. A loud _BOOM_ shook the room. Debris rained down from the ceiling. _What was that?_

"That was Credon's ship," White said.

"His ship?" she asked.

"He detonated his ship."

"Why?"

"To fulfill his revenge. Now the effects can't be reversed." He nodded toward the Doctor. She knew what he meant. The device he had used on the Doctor was on his ship and now it was gone.

She watched the tormented Time Lord as his screams continued to fill the room. Her eyes burned with tears. His entire existence had been spent saving everyone else and now he was doomed to spend the rest of it tortured by his memories. She wouldn't let that happen. After everything she had seen she knew that he was worth saving.


	5. Until Next Time

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Doctor Who or any of its characters or story lines, however I do own a fez.

Fall of the Doctor: Return to Skaro

Chapter 4

Jane stood in the dark alley as White finished instructing her on how to use the strange computerized device wrapped in leather that she wore on her left wrist. _Vortex Manipulator._ That's what he called it. She knew from the Doctor's memories that it would allow her to travel through space and time.

White had said he'd make a believer out of her and he had. With all the memories she had of the strange adventures and battles the Doctor had gone through how could she not believe?

There was something wrong though. Actually, a lot of somethings. For one thing she didn't trust White and she was pretty sure she knew why at one point, but now she couldn't remember. There were bits of her memory that felt fake. Like her name. The name Jane didn't feel right, but she couldn't remember being called anything else.

There were whole chunks of time missing. No, not missing, muddled. When she tried to remember where she'd been before White her mind became fuzzy and she couldn't quite focus.

"You have to keep the Doctor from visiting Chimeria," White explained, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Why?" she asked.

Chimeria, also known as the Garden Planet. There was a small museum that the Doctor visited once. He'd planned to go there for a while, but things kept getting in the way. She remembered the day he finally got around to going. It was after he handed River his sonic screwdriver, knowing he'd never see her again. The memory filled her with loss, regret, and emptiness. A tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it aside. She had to get a handle on the emotions that came with his memories. She couldn't let them overwhelm her if she was going to help him.

"Because that's where it begins." That didn't answer her question, but before she could push him any further, he asked, "You have the coordinates?"

"Yes." Though she wasn't sure how she got them. _He told me, didn't he? _She couldn't remember him telling her, but there they were in her mind. Three different sets. _He must have._

"Vortex Manipulators are temperamental so it may take a few tries."

She needed to find him the day he decided to visit the museum so she could distract him from that visit. _No time like the present. _She typed in the first set of coordinates. The sensation of being nowhere came over her as White, the alley, and even the ground popped out of existence.

She reappeared in an alley. _Wait! Did it work? _A _whooshing _that mingled with a high pitched whining filled the alley. The wind picked up, scattering crumpled papers, picking up leaves, and ruffling her auburn hair. The TARDIS was materializing right in front of her.

She stepped back, relieved. She'd gotten it right on her first attempt. The blue police box appeared with its flashing light. All she had to do was keep him from going to that museum. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she found him and that was a good start.

The door opened. The Doctor poked his head out, looking around. He wore a ripped up blue shirt, tie, and pinstriped pants. _Oh, no! This is too early. Much too early! _His eyes met hers.

* * *

He could see the shock in her eyes. _Hope it's not my face. _With the TARDIS crashing, little Amelia Pond, the crack, and then having to hop into the future to stabilize the old girl there hadn't been time to look in a mirror.

"Hello," he greeted.

She wore a long, purple jacket with a black shirt underneath. He took in her jeans and sneakers. Twenty-first century, but he was in the forty-second. _How can she be here? _

"Hello," she said. She sounded…scared? _No. _Confused.

She took a step back. Her eyes darted around as if she was looking for an escape. _Is she trying to escape me? Why? _He stepped out the door. Maybe she thought he was someone else.

"I'm the Doctor and you are?"

He looked into her ice-blue eyes. No surprise. No shock. Only that same trapped, confused look. _Oh, now that is interesting. _

She lifted her left arm and pulled back the sleeve with her right. _A Vortex Manipulator? Is she a time agent? _He had a feeling that she wasn't, but he couldn't say why. He'd learned to listen to that feeling over the years. It was usually right.

She typed in coordinates and dematerialized. _Who is she? And why did she look so confused? _The TARDIS groaned. _Amelia! _He told her he'd be right back. _What am I thinking? I have a time machine. _Another groan. _A time machine that needs to stabilize! _He raced back through the door.

* * *

She materialized, doubling over from disorientation. The Vortex Manipulator was going to take some getting used to. She leaned her hand against something that felt like wood, afraid to look up until the spinning in her mind stopped. _That was close! _

She'd jumped into his time stream way too early. If she wasn't careful she could alter not only his future, but the future of his companions. He'd saved too many people for her to chance messing things up. She didn't want to be responsible for anyone's death. She knew how much the guilt would weigh on her because she felt the weight the Doctor carried.

"Hello, again."

She straightened and looked into the Time Lord's green eyes. _Crap! _He was wearing the same outfit he wore after he saved the world and told off the Atraxi. _Too early again. _She realized she'd been leaning on the TARDIS. She pulled her hand away. He smiled and she almost returned it, but then she noticed what hung in the sky behind him. _The Earth! _That would mean she was on the…_moon. I'm on the moon! _

* * *

He watched her for a few minutes as she tried to shake off the effects of the Vortex Manipulator. He felt sorry for her, but at the same time he wondered who she was and why she kept appearing in his time stream. _What's she up to? _Then he decided to announce his presence by greeting her.

"Hello, again," he said.

She snapped up, shock clearly visible in her eyes. She wondered over his outfit then the shock was replaced by something else. _Concern? _She glanced at the TARDIS and quickly pulled her hand away. Her face lightened and he almost thought she was going to smile, but then she looked behind him.

He watched the shock creep back into her eyes. He turned around. _Ah, Earth. _He turned back. She didn't expect to be here. He had to admit that he'd been pretty surprised when he stepped out of the TARDIS after hopping to the moon for a test run and she suddenly materialized. She was lucky he extended the air so he could step outside for a quick look around.

This is where she must have gone after he introduced himself when they first met. _She didn't ask. _She left right after he told her who he was, but still. It seemed strange that she didn't ask the question almost everyone asked. _Doctor who? _Did she know?

She had that trapped look again. _Oh no you don't. _He wasn't going to let her pop off again. He reached into his inside pocket to pull out his sonic screwdriver, but before he could follow through with his plan of disabling her Vortex Manipulator she punched in coordinates and dematerialized.

He dropped his hand. She must have known what he was going to do, but how? _Interesting and more interesting. _He smiled. He never could pass up a mystery. He glanced at the Earth. Amy was waiting. He looked back at the spot the girl had occupied. _Until next time. _He stepped back into the TARDIS and closed the door.


	6. Tea With the Doctor

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Doctor Who or any of its characters or story lines, however I do own a fez.

Fall of the Doctor: Return to Skaro

Chapter 5

She materialized and looked around quickly. She was standing in the entrance to an alley. No Doctor. No TARDIS. She let out a breath. _That was too close! _When she saw him reach for his sonic screwdriver she knew what he had on his mind. He'd disabled Jack's Vortex Manipulator and she wasn't about to let him do the same thing to her.

She stepped onto the sidewalk and gazed around the street. It was late afternoon. A few people passed her going about their day. She used the last set of coordinates so if it didn't work this time she wasn't sure what she was going to do.

She spotted the tea shop across the street that she recognized from the Doctor's memories. This was where she needed to be, but was it the right time? She squinted her eyes and tried to look through the windows, but she was too far away.

She crossed the street and stepped through the door. The smell of fresh brewed tea hit her. She glanced around the packed room. Her eyes came to rest on a table next to the window on the other side of the room. _The Doctor._ He sipped his tea between bites of a jammy dodger, an open book in his free hand.

He didn't seem to notice as she wound her way through the room toward him. He looked up when she reached his table. His eyes grew wide in surprise.

"Hello," she said.

"Um…hello, again," he replied, sitting up quickly and nearly dropping his tea in the process. He put the book down.

"Mind if I sit?"

"Um…no, not at all, go right ahead." He seemed a bit flustered. She couldn't really blame him. After all she had popped in and out of his life twice without even introducing herself, but she couldn't at the time because she wasn't supposed to be there. _Stupid Vortex Manipulator. _"Staying for a bit then?"

She slid into the chair. "Yeah, sorry about what happened before. I'm not really good at using this thing." She lifted her arm, but kept her sleeve over the device.

"No problem, it's quite all right. You surprised me, that's all, nothing to worry about though."

He was rambling, something he tended to do. She let him go on because now that she was there she wasn't sure what she was going to say. She had to keep him from going to Chimeria because that would set off the events that led him to Skaro. If he went there…something…something…she tried to remember, but it wouldn't quite come into focus. _Something bad. Something really bad. _She wasn't sure exactly what it was, but the feeling that ran through her when she tried to remember told her that she _had _to keep him away from there.

"Are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

She snapped out of her thoughts. _Tea shop. _She was in the tea shop. "Yes, I'm fine," she said. She pulled herself together. She had a mission, of sorts, and she needed to see it through.

* * *

She was most definitely not fine, but he didn't want to push her. Not yet anyway. He could always pull out his sonic screwdriver and disable her Vortex Manipulator then question her, but there were too many people in the room and she might slip away. _No. _It was better to give her a chance to tell him what was going on.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you."

She seemed tired and something else. _Worried? _Yes, there was that worried look again. _What was she so worried about? Me? _Did she think he was going to do something to her? Maybe she did because maybe he had and he just didn't know because he hadn't done it yet. _Time travel._

"So…um…" He wanted to get her talking, but he wasn't sure where to start. "I told you my name, but you never told me yours."

"Actually you didn't."

"What?" Of course he did. He remembered like it was yesterday, but to her…he took in her outfit…same clothes…same hair…it was probably today.

"No, you said _I'm the Doctor_."

He laughed. "It's the same thing. I'm called the Doctor."

"I know that, but it's not really the same thing."

Yes it was. Of course it was. Then his mind snapped back to what she said. "Wait, what do you mean you know that? How do you know that?"

"Jane."

"What?" _Jane? What did that mean? _He was asking her how she knew he was the Doctor because she said it like she already knew.

"My name is Jane."

"Jane?" He knew someone who went by Jane before a long time ago, but she wasn't the same Jane. Did she know that the name had meaning to him?

"And I was told."

"You were told what?" She was completely confusing, frustrating, and _interesting. _She wasn't answering the questions in the order he gave them. Was she trying to throw him off? Well, it wasn't going to work. His mind was too sharp for that.

"I was told that you were the Doctor."

"Told by who?"

He half expected her to say _spoilers_ because the only other person he'd known who knew things about him was River, but this girl was nothing like the saucy woman he'd come to love and later married. The thought of his wife who he'd said goodbye to for the last time a few months ago made his heart ache. He pushed the memories aside.

* * *

"I don't know," she said. There had been someone…_a man?_ She couldn't quite remember. She thought his name started with a W or was it a T? _Damn it! _She was sure she knew not that long ago. Maybe the Vortex Manipulator was screwing with her mind.

She knew the Doctor. She knew something terrible would happen to him if she didn't keep him away from Chimeria and Skaro. She knew someone had given her his memories by…by…_Damn it! _She couldn't remember how. She knew that same someone had also given her the Vortex Manipulator, but she couldn't picture who it was.

"What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know?"

"I don't know."

He leaned across the table and looked into her eyes as if he could somehow tell if she was lying. She wasn't prepared for the intensity of his gaze or the emotions that churned behind his green eyes. He leaned back, obviously satisfied that she was telling the truth. She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"Okay then. Where did you get that?" He pointed to her sleeve, or, actually, the Vortex Manipulator that was hidden under her sleeve.

"I think from whoever told me who you are."

"You think? Don't you remember?"

"No."

He looked at her for a moment, then smiled, rubbing his hands together. "All right then. Want to find out?"


	7. Cowboys

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Doctor Who or any of its characters or story lines, however I do own a fez.

Fall of the Doctor: Return to Skaro

Chapter 6

He opened the doors to the TARDIS and stepped inside, a smile flirting at the corner of his lips as he thought about the words he was about to hear. The words they always said. He spun about to see the wide-eyed look that everyone got as their minds tried to accept the fact that she was _bigger on the inside_, but, instead, Jane glanced around in a familiar sort of way and then eyed him as if this was nothing new. _No. She couldn't have. Could she?_

She had known he was the Doctor, but that was because someone told her. Had that same someone told her about the TARDIS? Maybe, but even if that was true being told something like that and then seeing it…she should at least be a little shocked. _Shouldn't she?_ This was odd. _Definitely, completely and entirely odd._

"Welcome to the TARDIS," he said, not exactly as an introduction, but more to judge her reaction to his words.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space," she replied and then shot him a worried look.

_What? How did she know that? _He raced across the platform to her and leaned close, looking in her eyes. She shouldn't know that. _She absolutely shouldn't know that. _

"How do you know that?"

There was fear in her eyes and worry and something else… _Guilt? _Lots of guilt. It was underneath the fear and worry. _What was she guilty of? _

"Um…"

He heard her, but he wasn't paying attention to her words. He was trying to read her emotions. Trying to decide. His hand twitched. _No. Best not. Not yet. _He didn't have enough information and it might not be safe.

"Did he tell you?" he asked, stepping back.

"I think…maybe…" She shook her head. "I'm not sure."

"You think, maybe, you're not sure?"

He led her to the console. There was definitely something strange going on and he needed to find out what it was. _Cowboys. _The thought struck him so hard that he glanced at her. _Yes, definitely cowboys. _He leaned back against the console and folded his arms, gazing at her.

She leaned against a section of railing, copying his stance. He couldn't find out how she knew about the TARDIS. That was a bad slip on her part. She needed to be more careful with the knowledge she had. She wasn't sure why, but something told her that he couldn't find out.

It was better if he believed that whoever gave her the Vortex Manipulator and told her about him…_I was told, wasn't I?_...had also told her about the TARDIS.

When he looked into her eyes she almost told him everything. She wanted to. Something about him made her trust him. Maybe it was because they shared the same memories. She shook her head. _Or maybe I'm just loosing it. _She thought she might be. There were so many gaps in her memory and things that she remembered, but felt fake. Wrong.

"So," he said, drawing out the word, "whoever gave you that," he motioned with his elbow without unfolding his hands, "and told you about me probably told you about the TARDIS."

"Yeah," she agreed.

"What else did they tell you?"

She balked at that. What should she tell him? If she said nothing then had another slip up he'd know she was lying. Then he wouldn't trust her and he might start thinking she was against him. _Crap! _She decided to opt for the easiest answer.

"I'm not sure."

"You're not sure?" he asked, slowly.

"No, see…" she paused. _The best lies are built on truth. _She wasn't sure where the thought came from. Maybe his memories. "My mind is kind of fuzzy. It's like my memories got all muddled."

"Muddled?" _Cowboys. _He was right. Someone has been knocking around in her mind, but who? And why? _To get to me? _Maybe, but he couldn't be sure.

_She could be a conversion. _The thought hit him and he stepped toward her. He reached out and took her hand. She jumped as if he'd bitten her. _Is she afraid of me? _He dropped her hand not wanting to cause her anymore discomfort. She was warm. He'd gotten his answer. He stepped back and resumed leaning against the console.

Why would someone want to alter her memories? _Was it to get to me? Or was there another reason? _Who could do that? _Daleks. _They could, but she wasn't a conversion and he doubted they would go to the trouble unless they were going to convert her. Plus, they had forgotten everything about him thanks to Clara. _Sontaran? _No, they weren't usually sneaky like that. They preferred facing their enemies in battle and not using trickery. Well, except for that one time with the cars, but that fleet had been destroyed. The more he thought about it the more baffled he became. _Why her? _

His hand twitched again. _No. Not yet. _She had jumped when he touched her and her eyes had widened in fear. She had obviously gone through a lot, even if she didn't remember it and he didn't want to add to that. He unfolded his arms quickly and leaned them against the console to give them something to do while his mind tried to work out what was going on.

"What do you mean muddled?" he asked.

"I don't know. There are…things I remember, but they don't feel right. It's like their fake."

"Fake memories?" So, someone changed her memories. _Why?_ He started pacing. The pacing helped him think and he needed to figure this out.

"Yeah, and then there are the gaps."

"Gaps? What gaps?" He stopped and stared at her.

"Gaps in my memory. Like chunks of time that are missing."

"How do you know they're missing if you don't remember them?" They not only altered her memories they also extracted bits or hid them. If they were hidden he could find them, but he didn't want to put her through that unless there was no other choice. With everything that she'd been through he was afraid if he went traipsing through her mind he might cause more damage.

"Because I'm pretty sure I had a childhood, but I don't remember it."

"Well, that's…" _Interesting _"…strange. You don't remember any of it?" So, they hadn't taken out _bits_. They'd taken out quite a lot.

"No."

"Nothing?"

"No."

"Don't you have any pictures or anything?" If her memories were hidden then maybe she'd remember if she saw something familiar. It would be a lot less messy than the alternative.

"What?"

"Pictures. Most people have them in…you know…one of those things…those things people keep pictures in…" _Damn! What are those things called?_

"A photo album?"

"Yes, that's it. Don't you have one of those?"

"I…I don't know."

"Okay, well, we can check. Where do you live?" He walked over to the console to get the old girl started.

"I…"

"Don't know," he finished. He sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "You're missing a lot more than your childhood." _Cowboys with spurs. _He didn't want to have to do it, but it might be the only choice. "Do you remember anything that might help?"

She was trying to be as honest as she could without letting on that although her memories were muddled and missing giant pieces she also had his memories. It bothered her a lot that she couldn't remember things. _Where did she live? Where did she grow up? Did she have parents? Brothers? Sisters? Friends? What had she been doing before all this started? _She knew she had to keep him safe. _Keep the Doctor safe. _It was like a mantra that played over and over in her mind. Solving the question of who she was would help them both. It would keep him away from Chimeria and tell her who she was or, at least, who she used to be.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. The images that came were blurry, like a camera that's out of focus. She knitted her brows together, trying to remember. Her head began to throb. She rubbed the side of her temple as she continued to focus.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked in concern.

She nodded, not wanting to lose her train of thought. She hoped he wasn't going to touch her again. She knew what he could do with his touch and she couldn't let him in because then he would know. He would probably go rushing off the Chimeria because he wasn't supposed to. He could be impulsive like that.

She pushed the thoughts aside. She needed to find…something. _Green Haven. _The name popped into her head. She knew it was a town, but she wasn't sure how. She opened her eyes. The Doctor watched her with concern, but he hadn't made a move toward her.

"Green Haven," she said.

"Green Haven," he repeated. He flipped a leaver and she had to grab hold of the railing to keep from falling as the TARDIS lunged to a start. "Geronimo!"


End file.
